Designing for a Bachelorette Weekend
Creative collaboration, custom branding, thoughtful details, and a little behind-the-scenes ingenuity.
When most people think of Stone Hill Paperie, they think of wedding invitations. And while beautiful paper will always have a special place in my heart, some of my favorite projects take me well beyond the invitation suite. The Kaye Bach Club bachelorette weekend was one of those projects. When wedding planner Kelly Ryan of Kelab Events reached out, she had an ambitious list of items for a very special celebration in Bay Head, New Jersey. Personalized gifts, custom signage, menus, weekend itineraries, and plenty of thoughtful details to make the experience memorable. It was an opportunity to stretch my creativity, expand my resources, and collaborate with an incredible team. Naturally, I was all in. And as it turns out, some of the most interesting parts of the project happened behind the scenes.
A Beach Club of Their Own
The creative direction began with a playful name: Kaye Bach Club, a little wordplay combining bachelorette and beach club. Kelly had a wonderful vision for the overall experience, and we worked together to develop a visual identity that would carry throughout the weekend. For the color palette, I found inspiration in two places: the beautiful beach house itself and some of the earthy, understated colors I've been loving in interior design. The home's olive-green shutters and clean coastal aesthetic provided a natural starting point. Rather than going with the usual bachelorette-party palette, I suggested a combination that felt fresh, sophisticated, and perfectly suited to the setting. The goal was to create a recognizable identity that could move easily between different parts of the celebration, from relaxed beachside moments to a beautifully styled dinner. Kelly also knew exactly when she wanted us to lean into sophistication and when there was room for a little whimsy. That balance became one of my favorite aspects of the project.
Beyond Paper: The Art of Custom Gifting
One of the largest parts of this project involved personalized gifts for the guests. Kelly came to me with an extensive list of products she wanted to incorporate into the weekend, including robes, slippers, beach accessories, and other thoughtful gifts. My role was to source the products, develop the custom artwork and branding, and work with the right production partner to personalize everything. After some research, I connected with an incredible embroiderer who could take the beautiful products we selected and customize them with names, monograms, and Kaye Bach Club branding. The products were ordered and shipped directly to the embroidery studio, where all those individual pieces were transformed into personalized keepsakes. Once everything was finished, I picked them up and delivered them to Kelly.
Simple enough, right? Well, mostly.
At one point, we learned that a set of bathrobes wasn't going to arrive in time for embroidery. So it was back to sourcing, finding a suitable replacement, and keeping the production schedule moving. It's the sort of challenge that rarely makes it into the finished photographs, but it's very much part of creating custom pieces for an event. And it's something I genuinely enjoy. Finding the right products and production partners, working through the inevitable hurdles, and seeing the artwork translated into something entirely different from paper. The finished embroidered pieces were beautiful, and I was so pleased to have found a partner whose craftsmanship complemented the designs.
When the Materials Become Part of the Design
One of my favorite pieces from the weekend was the dinner menu, although it didn't start out quite as you see it in the photographs. Kelly had a very specific vision for the dinner, including sand dollar place cards with a debossed design. My original quote included a more simply produced, digitally printed menu. Kelly wasn't convinced, and she was right to push for something more. I went back to the drawing board and developed a design that felt better suited to the sophisticated atmosphere she was creating.
We selected a gorgeous beach-glass-blue cotton paper, upgraded to letterpress printing, and added a custom die-cut shape to give the menu a softer, more organic silhouette. The combination of beautiful paper, the impression of the letterpress, and the sculptural shape gave the finished piece an entirely different presence. Paired with the debossed sand dollar place cards, the result had the texture, dimension, and understated sophistication that Kelly had envisioned.
This is one of the things I appreciate most about working with a talented planner. Kelly understood how she wanted the experience to feel, and I could translate that direction into typography, materials, and production techniques. Sometimes the first idea isn't the best one. A good creative partnership leaves room to get somewhere better.
A Little Room for Whimsy
Not every detail called for the same level of formality. While the dinner stationery leaned into elegant materials and refined printing techniques, the custom bar and coffee signage gave us an opportunity to have a little more fun. Kelly had a whimsical direction in mind for these pieces, so I gathered ideas, reworked the graphics, and adapted the details to fit our established color palette. The result was playful without feeling disconnected from the rest of the weekend. And while I was having fun with the artwork, Kelly was keeping track of an impressive number of details for the drink menus themselves. There was no shortage of coordination happening behind those cheerful little signs!
The weekend itinerary booklets were another example of how a finishing detail can make all the difference. Designed around the original Kaye Bach Club branding, the booklets contained the schedule for the celebration. But when they arrived, Kelly wasn't entirely in love with their presentation. Rather than starting over, I punched holes along the spines, and we added soft, beachy cotton twine tied into bows. It was a simple addition, but it gave the booklets a more thoughtful, finished appearance that felt right at home in the beach house.
The Great Pennant Adventure
And then there was the pennant. I had designed a custom pennant for the bride, but when the finished piece arrived, it was all wrong. With two days to come up with something better, there wasn't exactly time for a leisurely redesign. What followed was a flurry of Amazon orders, visits to custom printers who couldn't produce what I had in mind, and multiple trips to craft stores. I also lost a few hours down a rather impressive pennant-making rabbit hole on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Even my daughter got pulled into the operation to offer advice.
Eventually, I made the pennant myself. Was it exactly what I originally envisioned? Not quite. But Kelly loved its slightly "campy" personality, and it turned out to be just right for the playful side of the celebration. Whew!
And here's the funny thing: I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I love a good craft project, even when it takes considerably more time than anticipated. And when something arrives that doesn't meet my expectations, I will never let that be the end of the story. There's almost always another way to make an idea happen. Sometimes it just requires a little determination, a few craft supplies, and an unexpectedly thorough education in pennant construction.
The Beauty of Creative Collaboration
Looking through the finished photographs, what strikes me most is how beautifully everything came together. The personalized gifts, the coastal-inspired branding, the playful signage, and the elegant dinner stationery were all very different pieces of a much larger experience. Kelly had an extraordinary vision for the weekend. She knew when to encourage a more sophisticated direction, when to have fun, and how each element would contribute to the overall celebration.
I was honored to be part of the team bringing that vision to life. This project stretched me creatively and pushed me to expand my resources. It introduced me to new production partners, challenged me to work with unfamiliar materials, and reminded me how much I enjoy the process of figuring things out. It also reinforced something I believe strongly about custom design: the most interesting projects aren't always the ones that fit neatly into an established list of services. Sometimes they're the ones that ask you to try something new.
And seeing the finished photographs of the Kaye Bach Club weekend, with all those carefully considered details coming together so beautifully, made every bit of the effort worthwhile. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. (But perhaps not for a few months.)
The Incredible Team for this Very Special Bachelorette Weekend:
Event planning & design: @kelabevents
Catering: @partygirl.worldwide
Graphic design & stationery: @stonehillpaperie
Tabletop rentals: @citrinetablescapes
Linens: @nuagedesigns
Balloons: @blownawaydecor_
Mobile spa: @pamperperfect
Mentalist: @carlforman_
Beach rentals: @jerseyshorepicnicco
Photography: @senecaryanco
At Stone Hill Paperie, I create custom designs and personalized details for weddings, celebrations, and events in Philadelphia, New York City, and beyond. From invitations and event branding to specialty printing, signage, and custom gifting, I love collaborating with planners and clients to bring thoughtful ideas to life.
